A Comox Valley man is facing more than 25 criminal charges after a lengthy investigation by the Comox Valley RCMP Street Crimes Unit.
The Comox Valley Street Crimes Unit launched an investigation early in the year into the increased number of break and enters occurring in the Comox Valley. Investigators identified a suspect, recovered some stolen property and subsequently arrested the Comox Valley man.
The lengthy investigation after his arrest led to many more charges and more recovered stolen property.
Michael Leighton, 31, is facing 27 criminal charges, including break and enter, possession of stolen property, possession of an identification document, mischief under $5,000, possession of break and enter tools, trafficking in property obtained by crime, possession of identification information and possession of a controlled substance.
He remains in custody.
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“The Comox Valley RCMP Street Crimes Unit is committed to targeting prolific offenders in the Comox Valley to keep our community safe,”said Corp. Jill Swann, of the Comox Valley RCMP Street Crimes Unit.
“In this case, investigators were able to easily identify some of the recovered property because victims provided detailed descriptions and serial numbers during their initial report. This was particularly helpful as the investigation progressed,” she added.
In December 2019, thieves were busy targeting storage lockers in condominium buildings when a mandolin, a valuable family heirloom, was stolen. During the course of this investigation, the mandolin was located and returned to the owner.
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